Lesson Reviews
Semi PRIVATE SURF LESSON TESTIMONIALS
Joshua T.
9/05/2025 Ontario, CA
MICAH WAS AMAZING!!! It was me and my girlfriend's first time ever surfing and he made it an unforgettable experience. He was extremely accommodating, attentive, and kind. Micah is a wonderful teacher with great patience and knowledge. We had many great conversations and he made it very easy for us to learn/ made us feel very comfortable throughout the entire process. We had a very fun and exciting time, Micah was very entertaining and made sure we were happily enjoying ourselves. He even took the extra care and time to make sure we got enough footage to take home. We absolutely loved our lesson and will be hitting the waves again, thank you so much again Micah! 100/10 experience. :)
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Vanessa S.
11/13/2022 La Puente, CA
When searching for surf lessons, I wanted to make sure we supported a small local business. My husband and I decided to take lessons with Mickey and we are so glad we did! Booking was easy and you communicate solely with Mickey from reservation request to lesson. Once we met him at the Duke Kahanamoku statue, he spent time going over the basics of surfing and how to navigate the water. He also gave us plenty of extra time to practice standing up on the land. Once we got into the water Mickey immediately started getting us onto waves. He was there to cheer us on and provide guidance as he helped paddle us out, pushed us into waves, and helped us stand up. He also caught awesome videos for us to enjoy as great memories. Overall I would highly recommend lessons with Mickey. He is so nice and made the lesson a ton of fun. You will not be disappointed!
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Whitney M.
9/11/2022 San Francisco, CA
Mickey was an incredible surf teacher! I had booked a 90 minute lesson for my boyfriend and I.. his first time and my second time. I appreciated Mickey's tips and tricks in the beginning before we went out in the water. It all makes sense when you're out there, I promise! Regardless, he's super patient, encouraging, and just plain fun to hang out with. The videos he got of us were awesome and I really felt like I was a real-life surfer out there! Thanks Mickey!!
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Jeff N.
6/24/2022 Menlo Park, CA
Mahalo to Mickey for the amazing surf experience! Interacting with Mickey, you will quickly see his passion for surfing and his depth of experience. My wife and I did a 90 minute surf lesson, and we were complete beginners. He has many years of experience working with surfers at all levels and he was a great coach. He will teach you the fundamentals and tailor the lesson to your needs. He also takes amazing photos and movies of your surfing, which are priceless memories. We highly recommend taking a lesson with Mickey, he is excellent!!!
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Lauren S.
5/17/2022 Seattle, WA
My boyfriend and I had such a wonderful experience with Mickey! Mickey was an informative, helpful, friendly, and overall great instructor. It's clear he's been doing this for a while - his instructions were easy to follow and understand, even for a first time surfer like me. I had no idea surfing would be so fun, but Mickey's kindness and patience made the experience so great. We got some really cool photos and videos from it, too. I would HIGHLY recommend booking with Mickey!!
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Kevin W.
5/03/2022 Downtown, Seattle, WA
Mickey is an amazing teacher, and I would HIGHLY recommend taking his classes. My gf and I signed up for an hour private session, and by the end we were both able to stand up on the board and ride a wave. I had a bit of prior experience, but even then Mickey was able to answer a lot of my questions very professionally, and above all he has great character and is just a really funny and nice guy. Again, can't recommend this business enough, definitely and unforgettable experience!
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Emily J.
11/28/2021 Alhambra, CA
What everyone said below is true! Micah is such a gem of a teacher. We never felt rushed or like we were another visitor coming thru. He really gets to know you before going out to surf. It's like meeting a new friend on the island. He made us feel at ease and not anxious like another school we went to. The other school just thought of us as another number. When you're not as anxious you can absorb more info and have the capacity to actually have fun. I am an over thinker but I think the fact that Micah was joking with us and gave us constructive criticism throughout our training was what made us better surfers. Technique is everything and if you learn the wrong technique from the get-go it will be hard to unlearn bad habits later on. Learn how to surf the right way the first time with Micah! Oh we saw a sea turtle pop up it's head in the water!! He filmed it for us too!
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Kat A.
10/13/2021 La Mesa, CA
Just book with Mickey! There is a plethora of surf instructors and schools to choose from but Mickey is truly the best instructor ever! He is patient and kind when it comes to teaching. We took one lesson with him during our trip for our wedding and we had such a positive experience that we're making plans to take another lesson before we leave. My fiancé and I were both able to stand on our boards and catch some waves with his help and guidance. I was really nervous about surfing initially and I didn't even think I'd be able to stand up on the board let alone ride a wave! Mickey, thank you for being so genuine and bringing aloha to our day! This by far has been the highlight of our trip! Side note, he also keeps your belongings safe and takes amazing videos on his Go Pro to share with you at the end of your lesson!
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Thuan P.
5/08/2021 Berkeley, CA
I was able to quickly schedule a surf lesson with Mickey over the phone within a few minutes. He was able to accommodate my schedule and everything was worked out over text afterwards. I didn't bring my phone to the lesson because I was afraid of losing it but when we were there, there was someone watching his things during the lesson! Or text Mickey to ask if there will be someone there to watch his and your things. I did a semi private lesson for two people for 90 minutes. The lesson consisted of some practice on how to stand on the board on the beach and the majority of the time, we were in the water. Mickey obviously seems to know almost everyone that is on the beach you can see him mingling with folks near his umbrella and in the water. Overall I had a great time with my boyfriend! I am the kind of person that is used to a lot of verbal instructions and Mickey's teaching style is more of learning by doing. I was a little afraid at first but quickly realized that I just had to get in the water to really learn how to surf. When catching waves, Mickey took time helping me get up on the board by grabbing my arm or pushing my board forward with a wave because I wasn't a great swimmer. He didn't have to physically help my boyfriend as much and instead rode waves with him and guided my boyfriend verbally the whole time. TIP wear a shirt if you are a guy, my boyfriend got a little bit of chafing on his chest from the board (completely normal). I had some scrapes on my elbows and knees but nothing major. Mickey really helped my boyfriend and I to feel confident to surf on our own afterwards. He also put in a lot of effort to help my boyfriend and I get a picture of us riding the same wave which I really appreciated. After the lesson he connected with me over Line to send us our videos! I am so impressed with the amount of effort he puts into his lessons and you can tell that he really loves what he's doing. I don't think I would've had as great as an experience with any other instructor, would highly recommend! One thing I would change is I would've scheduled the lesson earlier and spent some of our vacation days practicing! Some of his past students from earlier lessons where in the ocean and he gave them some tips and was also watching out for them. He really cares!
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Jeff W.
4/16/2021 Phoenix, AZ
Mickey is the Surfing Sensei! My wife and I wanted to escape from the Waikiki beach and explore other parts of the island in search of some good waves and learning a little more about Oahu. Setting up a day with Mickey was just the right call. He met us bright and early at our hotel, with all the gear needed for the day, including boards, rash guards, a nice beach chair in his Subaru SUV for the excursion. We went up to the North shore, stopped at a local coffee house for a quick coffee and some delicious pastry. We toured around the area taking in the great beaches, looking for the right waves for our capabilities, and enjoying his take on Oahu and the growth and changes he has seen having been there his whole life. This included stopping at a local fruit stand for snacks. We ended up at the Diamond Head "Cliff" break for an early afternoon surf session and lessons. We rode some great waves and enjoyed some fun times! We will definitely connect with him the next time we are in Oahu. Reach out to him for a lesson or a day long surf adventure, you will not be disappointed!
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Denim M.
3/21/2021 New York, NY
Surfing in Waikiki is intimidating as a beginner just because of how crowded it is. As beginners my friend and I tried to crack at it ourselves to limited success. Wanting to get better, we reached out to Mickey. I highly recommend taking classes with him as he does a great job explaining ways to catch your own waves, as well as how to properly navigate a crowded beach. The next day after the class, we even managed to catch some waves by ourselves with the techniques we learned from him. We are excited to take more classes and get better . Thank you Mickey!
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Korrin H.
1/11/2021 Honolulu, HI
We met Mickey on the beach one day and two days later we signed up for lessons with him. He is so knowledgeable and successful. Both my friend and i had never gotten up before and we both got up on the first time! Thanks for a great experience mickey!!
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Leland Chung
12/26/2019 San Francisco, CA
Unforgettable experience with an amazing teacher! Mickey is the best surf instructor we ever had. He’s incredibly knowledgeable, he’s an amazing teacher and person. My wife and I had an unforgettable experience, he made us feel safe and comfortable in the water. The communication was fantastic and he was very patient with us. Every time we’ll come to Honolulu we’ll try to take lessons from him!!! Much Mahalos Mickey!
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Robin C.
12/08/2019 Irvine, CA
We had the absolute pleasure of booking a Friday surfing experience with Mickey. We did two semi-private lessons (each one included a child's first surf experience). He was on time, super friendly, sent us videos before to help our kids feel comfortable to know what to expect, and we had the best time! Our daughter was feeling nervous though she's a great swimmer, so he let her surf on his board. She had the absolute best time! She did get up quite a few times but felt safe enough to do so! In addition he taught us a bit about Hawaiian culture, surf culture and life. Our son was super excited to surf and Mickey had the amazing talent to use a paddle to catch waves, while navigating his board, and helping him to stand up securely all while video taping the whole experience! My sister in law (a local) and myself also had wonderful first time adult surfing experiences. We caught many waves and are both looking into doing this more regularly! Back on the mainland I recommend Mickey to anyone thinking of visiting! He went above and beyond to give us the absolute best experience we could have had!
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Pau L.
9/23/2019 Westwood, Los Angeles, CA
Thanks to Mickey, we had a fantastic first surfing lesson! He is very professional and responded promptly to our text. He's a great instructor, explains things very clearly, and makes it fun! Our photos and video footage turned out great. I couldn't have imagined a better first experience surfing. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a lesson!
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Land & Water Instruction




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